The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is concerned regarding the quality of prasadams being supplied to the devotees at the Indrakeeladru during the ongoing Dasara Navarathri Utsavams.
In light of these tensions regarding the quality control of prasadams, particularly with regard to the laddu prasadam in the Tirumala temple of Lord Venkateswara in the board of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), orders have been issued by state government to all the temples in state to ensure safety of prasadams.
According to FSSAI Joint Food Controller of A.P. N. Purnachandra Rao, FSSAI was concerned about the quality control of the raw materials brought in and the prasadam prepared during Navaratri festivities in the major temples of the state.
“During Dasara Festivities at Sri Durga Malleswari Swamywarladevasthanam in Vijayawada, three Food Safety Officers (FSOs) are deployed daily to evaluate the quality of prasadams every day. The FSOs will control the quality of the raw material used for preparation of prasadams and also the different varieties of cooked prasadams,” Mr. Purnachandra Rao told The Hindu on Friday.
NTR District Collector Gummalla Srijana has said that Durga temple authorities have also been ordered to keep monitoring the quality of prasadams offered to the devotees systematically.
“On the very first day, laddu, pongali and Anna Prasadam, samples were collected. Directions have been made to the FSOs for performing the procedure on daily basis during the utsavams,” the Joint State Food Controller expressed.
Acting upon the orders of Commissioner of Food Safety C. Hari Kiran, FSOs as well as food inspectors were in action for the utmost quality of the different prasadams offered in all the prominent temples of the state during Dasara Utsavams.
“The FSO and inspectors will check the quality of prasadams, situated at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala, Sri Venkateswara Swamyvari Devasthanam at Dwarka tirumala, Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamyvari Devasthanam at Simhachalam, Sri Bramaramba Mallikarjuna Devasthanam at Srisailam, sri Lakshmi Tirupatamma Temple located at Penuganchiprolu in NTR District, Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamyvaari Devasthanam at Annavaram including other temples,” Purnachandra Rao narrates.
“FSSAI is conducting activity of testing the quality of raw ingredients of milk, ghee, honey, oils, rice, jaggery, pulses, dry fruits, curd, tamarind, sugar and other items used to make prasadams and Anna Prasadam,” he informed.
“I, on duty in Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvaarla Devasthanam and am in charge of the food safety administration position, verified different kinds of stocks of items including rice, sambar, milk, Bengal gram, jaggery, among others and other stocks. The stocks also satisfied all specifications,” stated an on duty FSO N.Ramesh Babu.
Mr. Purnachandra Rao mentioned that the FSOs have been instructed to ensure the quality of the raw material that is being brought into the storerooms and also check every prashad given out frequently.
“The FSOs and the Inspectors were also directed to collect opinion from the devotees visiting the temples on the quality of the prasadams being offered during Dasara Utsavams,” the State Joint Food Controller affirmed.
